51

Kyrin

I was sitting in my office writing my reports for the Admin building. This and these kids is what kept me sane these days. There was a knock at the door and I yelled come in.

Mia Franklin walked in with a paper in her hands. I knew what it was and I sighed. "Mia—."

"Momma K, I tried to be good today. I swear I did. The bitch just keep trying me." She fumed.

Mia was a Senior, one that you couldn't tell anything to unless you were me or her father. I was one of the select few that was actually getting a chance to see the brain behind this little girl's mind. She was bright, and had no problem holding an intellectual conversation with you if you gave her the chance.

We butted heads at first until she realized two things. I wasn't the old principal and I didn't need this damn job.

"Watch your mouth Mia."

"My bad, but she don't know me to be talking to me like I'm her child."

"Let me guess, Mrs. Kade?"

"How'd you know?"

"Let me ask you this Mia, are you in dress code?" I asked her because I knew how tough Mrs. Kade was on the kids dress code. The woman cared more than me.

"No but—."

"Oh. So you know you wrong?" I replied. "That's all I needed to hear."

"I have a jacket." She pointed out as she put it on.

"Put it on. Keep it on. Why didn't you tell Mrs. Kade that you had a jacket?"

Mia rolled her eyes. "I was going to until she caught a attitude."

I shook my head. "Have a seat Mia. Hand me the referral."

She handed me the paper and I looked over it. It was dress code and the way she talked to the woman.

"Don't call my dad." She mumbled softly. "Please?"

"Who'd you take this to before me?" I asked as I saw the two day suspension where the actions taken column was.

"Karnagen. That's who Mrs. Kade called to the class to come get me. I can't get suspended, my dads gonna kill me."

Mia and I met eye contact. "Mia, it's nothing I can do. Karnagen wrote it and probably put it in the computer." I turned back to my screen as I pulled Mias name up in the system. Clicking on her records, it was in fact already in the system. "Yeah Mia, it's not in my hands anymore."

She took a deep breath before taking her jacket back off. "Fine."

When she went to exit my office, I called her back. "Uh, where are you going?"

"To fight that bitch. It hit the system so obviously she wants problems. I'm going whoop her ass."

"Mia Franklin, sit your behind down." Mia huffed before grabbing her jacket and sitting back down.

"How am I gone stay home? My dad is gonna notice I don't wake up in the morning."

"Just—." I sighed. "Mia, you have to do better. With your behavior and your mouth. I know that you've been through a lot and I know that somedays you can't help it, but you cannot go to college acting how you're acting right now. You're eighteen, it's time to grow up."

Mia got quiet because she knew I was right. Finally, she spoke. "I know, I just don't like to be yelled at. You know that. My dad knows that. Last time I got yelled at, you know what happened. If everyone could talk to me how you talked to me then I'd be fine Momma K."

"I know Mia, but that's not how life works unfortunately." I mumbled back. The door to my office opened and I watched as my friends and fiancé filed in. I knew those faces, I knew when bad news was coming my way. Shaking my head, I spoke. "Mia, go sit outside for me."

She nodded and excused herself. Phoebe sighed. "Sis."

"Whatever it is... just say it."

"Kyrin." Phoebe called out softly just to stop.

"Stop prolonging and just say it. Please." I found myself begging.

"They found him Ky. They found Langston, baby. He's gone." My fiancé told me softly.

First instinct? Well that was to laugh— and that's what I did as I shook it off. "Nah. Quit playing."

Ember stepped forward with a file and sat it on my desk. "They found a body Kyrin. It's him sweetie. It's him."

Trembling, I opened the file up and my heart shattered as I stood up because I couldn't sit anymore. I shook my head again. "No." I backed into the wall. Janet tried to touch me and I pulled away. "No!" My hands went out to keep her away from me as tears began falling harshly. "No man. No. He promised me. No. No. No. He can't be gone. He promised me!"

Janet wrapped her arms around me anyways. "Okay baby, okay. I got you. I got you."

I tried to get out of her embrace as my head wouldn't stop shaking in disbelief. "They took him. No. No."

They had taken my best friend from me. The only thing that made me smile when I was younger. They had took the one man that I could always count on and trust. They had took my lifeline from me.

My fight dismantled itself suddenly as I allowed Janet to hold me. She tried to calm me. "Baby, it's going to be alright. It's going to get better—."

"Baby no." I didn't want to hear that right now. Everything wasn't going to be alright. Nothing was ever going to get better. "I was all he had. I was the only family he had and they took him." I pointed to the photo that held my best friends lifeless soul on it. "Look at him J, they are fucking monsters! They took him. They fucking took him."

She began rocking me back and forth as I continued to cry. I couldn't get my tears to stop. Langston was all I had when I was younger. The only reason I didn't take my life after I was raped. Langston was my angel that God sent. Now he was gone. Now— now he couldn't be my angel.

Shaking Janet off me suddenly, I wiped my tears and took a deep shaky breath. Turning away from them, I closed my eyes and collected myself for the moment. I had to deal with this later, I still had a school to run until later today. At 2:50, I could break down all day, but right now— right now I had to put it on a shelf for later.

When I turned back around, I spoke to Janet. "I need to get my brother out here by tonight."

"What? Why? He's fine with Sarah until your mother gets out of jail. We decided that yesterday." Phoebe told me as though I was speaking to her.

I looked at her. "My best friend is dead. I can't lose anyone else." My eyes shot back to my fiancé. "So, can we get my brother out here today?"

"We can get him a flight out Kyrin." Ember assured me.

Janet nodded along. "We sure can. If all else fails, we will hop on my jet and go get him ourselves. Whatever you need to make this better, we will make it happen baby."

"I'm fine." I mumbled as I pulled the last of my emotions together and sat down in my chair. "I just need my brother out here with me."

J sighed. "Give us a moment, will you all?"

My sister left out of my office and I looked up at Janet. "I promise I'm fine."

"You— Kyrin, I love you. Which means it's my job to make sure you're okay even when you won't admit that you aren't. I just—."

"Baby I'm not okay." I shook my head. "I know I'm not okay. You know I'm not okay, but right now I have to be okay. I just have to be okay for right now and then when I get home we can talk all day. I promise."

"You want me to leave?" She asked me softly.

"Actually, no.. I don't but if you have something to do then I understand."

J pulled my other chair up by my office chair and sat in it. "I'm all yours love. Nothing is more important than this. I'll look up some flights and see what type of strings I can pull."

Smiling at her softly, I grabbed her hand and brought it to my lips and kissed it. She smiled back at me at the action. "I love you mama."

"I love you more princess."

"Ou, we not starting this one." I avoided the argument waiting to happen.

She chuckled. "Because you know I would win. Hey, who was the little girl that was in here earlier?"

"Oh Mia. Let me go get her before she gets in any more—." The door to my office opened and Mia walked back in. "Girl, you are going to live a long time, we were just talking about you."

Mia chuckled. "I don't know if that's good or bad. I just left my phone, I'll come—." She trailed when she saw I was holding Janet's hand. Mia looked around for a moment before gasping. "Holy shit!"

"Language." I warned her.

"No. No. No. You don't get it Momma K, you are Jyrin. How did I not know or put together before that you were Jyrin?"

"What the heck is Jyrin?" I questioned.

"Our ship name. It's cute huh?" Janet asked me as she chuckled watching Mia have a mini meltdown.

I nodded kind of shocked that I was even in a 'ship' type of relationship. "Jyrin is nice."

Mia blinked a few times. "You were on the shade-room and everything momma K. I just think they didn't put a good pic because I never put it together. Half the kids haven't put it together or else we would be acting right."

"Yeah right." I rolled my eyes. "Me saying that I'm marrying Janet Jackson isn't going to make any of you demon seeds act and dress appropriately at school but baby, this is Mia Franklin. Mia, this is Janet, my fiancé."

"How did you get in this school and no one mauled you?" Mia asked her as she stuck out her hand but took it back. "Are you a hugger? I would love it if you were a hugger."

Janet chuckled as she stood up and they hugged. "I'm a hugger."

"Aww stop being mad. Want a hug?"

"Langston move. You shouldn't have ate my hot fries, now you wanna ask for a damn hug. You know I don't give out shit when I'm mad. I'm not a damn hugger."

"Well that's too bad..." He hung his head low as we walked out of the mall. His arms wrapped around my waist. "I'm a hugger!" He picked me up and squeezed me as he began spinning me around.

"Boy put me down!" I yelled out as I began laughing at him.

Sighing, I shook the memory off as Mia and Janet began to talk. This shit just didn't feel real. This couldn't be real. The numbness taken over in my chest was something I couldn't handle— all I wanted to do was cry some more.

Yet, that would have to wait.

I wanted to break down and scream to the clouds, but that would have to wait also. Everything was moving slow. Nothing felt real to me right now. The only thing that felt real was the fact that my heart was caving in slowly.

This— this feeling was taking my soul over. Nothing but pain was taking my soul over and I couldn't do anything about it.